The Practice of Self Enquiry
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SPECIAL NOTE BY THE AUTHOR When a sage of the stature of Sri Ramana Maharshi incarnates on earth for the benefit of all mankind, he also brings with himself his galaxy of enlightened human beings, so the exemplary life such a sage leads and his teachings may spread far and wide to all the corners of our globe and penetrate deep into the psyche of those aspirants who desire to advance to the very final stages of seeking, experiencing and living the very nature of our true reality known as Awareness. Sri S.S Cohen and Sri Sadhu Om are two such devotees of Sage Ramana. Their writings about the teachings of the sage, their personal experiences and the type of life they lead are an invaluable guide to the seekers of true knowledge. This book covers some of the writings of these two ardent followers of the sage. The following is a brief overview of the life of these two exemplary devotees of the sage.
About Sri S. S. Coh en Sr i S. S. Cohen was J ewi sh by r ace and Ir a qi by or i gi n. An account ant by profession, Cohen came to India in 1927 in his early youth in search of a key to the mystery of life, and settled down in India for the rest of his life. He worked in Bombay (now called Mumbai) as a professional accountant for a few years, then joined the Theosophical Society and lived at its headquarters in Adyar, Madras (now called Chennai) for five years. However, here he could not find the answer to the question regarding our ultimate purpose on earth and the method to fulfil the answer to this question. During this time Cohen heard of Sage Ramana, and came to Sri Ramanasramam with the intention of staying for a short period, but ended up staying for a period spanning more than fourteen years, from 1936 until the sage shed his physical body in 1950. Cohen was one among staunch devotees who lived at Palakottu, a colony of spiritual seekers near the ashram. Cohen was fortunate to have received the grace and blessings of Sage Ramana. Following is a small incident that showed the grace showered upon him by the sage. The builders had completed the finishing touches to Cohen’s small mud hut in Palakottu garden on April 4, 1936. Cohen had accordingly organised the final arrangements for the house warming ceremony, which was